Extract of a Letter from Signor Camillo Paderni, to Dr. Mead, concerning the Antiquities Dug up from the Antient Herculaneum, Dated from Naples, Nov. 18, 1752. Translated from the Italian

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If into a fpoonful of common diftilled water is
dropp'd one drop of oil of tartar per detiquium> and
then added ten drops of a ftrong folution of corrofive
fublimate, the mixture will immediately become tur-
bid and brown, and with a few drops of the folution
of filver, it will be precipitated, and turn milky. It
is a volatile alkali therefore, and not a fixed one, that
is contained in. this water.

The folution of filver will not difcover a volatile
alkali contained in water, but very plainly a fixed
one.

A folution of fugar of lead will not difcover a
fmall quantity of marine fait or fpirit, till we add
more.

A folution of fublimate will manifeft both a vola-
tile and fixed alkali*

IX, ExtraSi of a Letter from Signor Camillo
Paderni, to Dr. Mead, concerning the An-
ttqmties dug up from the antient Hercula-
neum, dated from Naples, Nov. 18, 1752U
Tranjlated from the Italian.

Read^Feb. 8, T^HE things, of which I have the
l 7S3* J^ charge, are many > and extraor-
dinary; confiftingof

Metals; that is, bronzes, filver and gold of all
kinds, of excellent workmanfhip.
Beautiful cameo's and intaglio's*
Glafs of all forts.

Various

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Various produ&ions of the earth $ fuch as, gram,
beans, figs, dates, nuts, piftachio's, almonds, rice,
bread.

Colours for painting.

Medicines in pills, and other forms, with their
marks.

A phial of oil.

Gold lace, perfectly well preferved, and extremely
curious, on account of its being made with mafly
gold, fpun out, without any filk, or other yarn.

Soap, bran, and a variety of other things, which
it were tedious here to enumerate \ but there will be
a relation of the whole publifhed, which I fhall im-
mediately fend to you ; as I hope you have received
the book of Morifeigneur Bajardi, already fent, altho*
of little fignificance *.

It is not a month ago, that there have been found
many volumes of papirus, but turn'd to a fort of
charcoal, fo brittle, that, being touched, it falls rea-
dily into afhes. Neverthelefs, by his majeftys orders,
I have made many trials to open them, but all to no
purpofe 5 excepting fome words §, which I have
picked out intire, where there are divers bit^ by
which it appears in what manner the whole was
written. The form of the characters, made with a
very black tin&ure, that overcomes the darknefs of
the charcoal, I fliall here, to oblige yoti, imitate

in

* The words in the original letter are, c< Come fpero che avera
<* ricevuto il libro de Monf. Bajardi inviatogli a benche non ferva.**

§ I fufpeft an inaccuracy here in the original, and that he
meant, " excepting fdme bits, which I have pick'd out intire,
w where there are feveral words, &c"

[ 73 ]

in two (halt lines j my fidelity to the king not per-
mitting me to fend you any more.

N-ALTrai\)^I)VU

This is the fize and fhape of the chara&ers. In
this bit there are eight lines. There are other bits
with many other words ; which are all preferved in
order for their publication.

There have been found lifcewife very lately three
beautiful ftatues of marble, and one of them excellent:
Six heads of bronze, of which there is one, that
gives hopes of finding the flattie it belongs to. It is
ayoung Hercules, of a kind of work, that has no fellow
in the way of metal, having the haii; finished in a
foiiprifing manner. Likewise feveral little figures of
metal; a fiftrum very neat and well preferved ; and
there is not a day paffes, in which they do not bring
to me fbme curiofities newly found.

■MM

X A Trmflatim and Explanation of feme
Articles of the Book wtiiled* "Tlieorfe de
la Figure de la Terre ; by Monf, Clairaut,
of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris;
and F. 8. S.

Rwateb. I 5»|t iCR. Short, in Ms account of Father

in mufafn pbyjicam figura et map&tuAink teW&rfc
mftra t having reported that philofopher's fentiments

K on